Introduction to AACE International

From American Roots to Global Authority

AACE International was founded in 1956 when 59 cost estimators and cost engineers gathered at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, New Hampshire, to establish the American Association of Cost Engineers. These founding members recognised that cost engineering was emerging as a distinct professional discipline that required its own body of knowledge, standards, and professional community separate from general engineering or accounting.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, AACE grew steadily across the United States and began attracting international members, particularly from the process industries, construction, and mining sectors. The organisation began publishing Cost Engineering journal and developing the technical papers and standards that would form the foundation of modern cost engineering practice.

In 1990, recognising the increasingly global nature of its membership and influence, the organisation changed its name from the American Association of Cost Engineers to the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering. The legal name became AACE International in 1992, reflecting the organisation's worldwide scope and its commitment to advancing the profession on every continent.

Today, AACE International is headquartered in Morgantown, West Virginia, and serves as the pre-eminent global authority on cost engineering, total cost management, and project controls. With nearly seven decades of continuous operation, AACE has shaped how projects are estimated, budgeted, scheduled, and controlled across every major industry sector.

A Worldwide Community of Cost Professionals

AACE International has grown from its 59 founding members to a global community of over 10,000 members and certificants spanning more than 100 countries. The organisation's decentralised structure includes over 80 local sections organised geographically into 10 regions covering North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America.

AACE members work across a remarkably broad range of industries and sectors. While the organisation's roots lie in the process industries (petroleum refining, chemical processing, and power generation), AACE's reach now extends to construction, mining and resources, transport infrastructure, defence, aerospace, information technology, and government. This cross-sector perspective is one of AACE's greatest strengths, enabling the transfer of best practices between industries.

AACE Australian Section

The AACE Australian Section has a long history, originating as the AACE Melbourne Section in 1977 before expanding nationally during the 1980s. The Australian Section connects professionals in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth with AACE International's global community, offering certification preparation courses, technical events, networking opportunities, and professional development resources tailored to the Australian context.

In 2018, a constitutional requirement led to the full organisational separation of the Australian Section from its previous affiliation with Engineers Australia, establishing independent elections, management, and financial governance. The Australian Section actively promotes AACE standards and certifications across Australia's mining, energy, infrastructure, and construction sectors, and regularly hosts the Project Controls Expo and other industry events.

For Australian cost engineering professionals, AACE membership provides access to an international body of knowledge that complements local standards like PCEM, while AACE certifications such as the CCP and CEP are widely recognised by employers across the Australian resources and infrastructure sectors.

The AACE Body of Knowledge

AACE International maintains one of the most comprehensive bodies of knowledge in the cost engineering field. Its publications define the technical standards and methodologies used by practitioners worldwide.